Now that we know Sephiroth has been hunting Aerith in every timeline, the intro scene of Remake makes a lot of sense. The Sephiroth theme plays while Aerith is in the alley and she gets spooked and runs away.
Oh yeah, great catch. And also they changed the ending of remake to match the tone of rebirth. Aerith hates the steel sky now because she sees the crack on the sky.
Start 0:00 Cutscene 2:50 Aerith Praying... (Gameplay + Cutscene) 8:13 Jenova Phase 1 14:50 Jenova Phase 2 18:30 Jenova Phase 3 20:55 Jenova Phase 4 26:28 End of Jenova Boss fight 33:40 Start of Sephiroth Boss fight Cutscene 34:00 Cloud and Zack vs Sephiroth 36:07 Cloud Vs Sephiroth Reborn 40:00 Tifa, Red XIII and Cait Sith vs Bahamut Arisen Whisper 43:40 Zack vs Sephiroth reborn 48:15 Red XIII, Barrett and Yuffie vs Sephiroth Reborn 51:47 THE FINAL FIGHT 58:22 Sephiroth defeated CUTSCENE 1:16:00 Zack cutscene 1:17:45 CUTSCENE 1:18:45 cutscene 1:20:30 Rufus Cutscene 1:23:15 Weapon cutscene 1:25:56 Zack Cutscene 1:26:28 Nibelheim cutscene 1:27:23 THE FINAL CUTSCENE 1:27:57 Credits 1:34:00 Anyways Imma slowly go back and leave timestamps for all the pervious parts I missed. Part 1-4 and Part 15-28 all have timestamps at the moment. I'm not really sure how you would find my comment but they are in there somewhere. I'll edit this comment whenever I end up doing an extra part. Bye
The thing I appreciate about zack is that he actually talks to sephiroth. It's a quick couple of lines but he's trying to reach sephiroth's humanity. Don't think anyone has tried since the flashback.
He also doesn't know everything that's happened in the years since his "death". What Cloud and the group have been doing to try to stop Sephiroth, and what all they've been through. But still, when he's there with Cloud in that moment, he just knows he has to fight. He knows that Sephiroth is Threat Number One.
You're right. No one has tried that. Not even Cloud. Understandably, Sephiroth murdered Cloud's mother and village and tried to kill Tifa, but I always found it strange that Cloud didn't at least once try to reach Sephiroth to understand exactly wtf happened to him. Maybe a "snap the fuck out of it" or something. Unfortunately, Sephiroth is far too gone now. He made himself evil.
Cloud has never had a real relationship with sephiroth. Cloud was just a jobber assigned to a mission with two great people. In crisis core it’s heavily implied that Zack has had considerable amount of time with sephiroth. Zack was partially trained by him and worked with him for probably years. So for Zack to see his good buddy do crazy stuff when they are both soldiers, that means something to him.
and what i love as well is how quickly and simply sephiroth shoots him down zack: "how could you do all that and turn your back on everyone" seph: "easily" like damn okay dawg
Did you notice that when the fight with Jenova starts, everyone has their limit except Cloud? They’re all in a heightened state because they saw Aerith dead. Cloud still thinks she’s alive so he didn’t start the fight with his limit. I think it’s his mind repressing painful memories/reality again.
Yeah, I think it's more Sephiroth mind-fuckery. Like at the end, he still sees Aerith and acts like she's still alive, and that she's just staying behind for whatever reason. I think in his mind, he did save her and that she's still alive to him, but the reality is that she is dead, and it'll probably be something he has to come to terms with in Mideel, just like the rest of the mind-fuckery he dealt with in the original.
Tbh, I don’t think it’s that deep. Everybody hitting their limit break on an endgame boss fight is hype. Cloud is going to have much more opportunity to get his LB up than everyone else. Not much deeper to go than that
Fucking crawl into a hole of my own doing for approximately 7 hours. The boss fight had me fighting with the ps5, the controlled, the husband, my cat. I couldn't eat or sleep or stand up
For you youtube watchers only, I want you to know he spent roughly the next 6 hours of the stream this episode came from talking about the game and theorizing. Dont know if youll get all of it, but you better prepare for the madness youre gonna get from him
I’m a youtube watcher, and I've listened to Max's impressions of this ending on the Spoiler Mode podcast. It’s actually wild what he said about the ending lol
I feel bad for Zack lmao because, from the POV of Crisis Core, Zack was just headed back to Midgar with Cloud when his luck ran out and he's killed. But now if he DID survive, he's stuck in a multiverse 🤯
To be fair anything higher than 1 was in with a good shot at that record. Gamers don't use high level healing items. We save them all for the No Claims Bonus after the credits roll.
I love watching streamers get to the end. You can tell exactly who’s played the OG FF7 - they hesitate to approach Aerith because they’re absolutely terrified of what might happen.
I think that’s why they dump all those extra side quests on you before you start chapter 13.. I was trying to extend my time as long as I could with the party knowing what was coming towards the end
I had to force myself to stop doing minigames and side quests so I can see how this game ends. 150 hours for me. This has been one of best video games I ever played. Simply unbelievable. THIS is system seller. So much content no DLC or microtransactions. Thank you to everyone who worked on this and thank you Max for another amazing let's play.
Same, just couldn't wait anymore with all those videos popping up on UA-cam with "ff7 rebirth ending explained". So I just went to final encounter, either will start from last saved file or start it over .
Man I spent 170...gives me so much hope for gaming..this is how it should be I hope when the game becomes multi platform square gets more credit they deserve it
@@DiCGanimation Same I finished it a couple of weeks ago. When u get back to Costa del Sol and u get more side quests for the regions I just couldn't wait anymore. I had done almost everything but, I wasn't prepeared to spend another couple of hours on side quests xD I NEED TO KNOW HOW IT ENDED!
I just learn the knew skill of other swords and switch back to the old Buster Sword. It's too iconic to leave off him, I just overcome thr shortcomings it has compared to the other swords
I already thought the Whisper Harbinger from Remake was essentially Bizarro Sephiroth, thought 'This is a pretty good adaptation of that split fight.' Sephiroth Reborn just blows it out of the water.
They clowned so hard making you fight Bizarro already, not to mention this already had like 10 phases. What's final fight in part 3 gonna be like, 30 phase final boss?
@@Walamonga1313 I agree that 10 phases was a bit of an ask but clowning? You're welcome to your opinions but that's just being dramatic for the sake of being dramatic
This game is a masterpiece, not only spent my own 130 hours playing it, but watched every minute of your 28 videos and I already still can't wait to play it again on PC, outstanding in every way.
I love when the game forces you to play as the other characters, and especially in times like the end when everyone has to work together. This really brings the "party" together and makes everyone feel more powerful rather than just playing as Cloud the whole time. Hope to see more of it in Part 3!
I liked that too, sort of. The one thing that ruined that for me was that most people, myself included, play with "good" materia on characters they play, and "grinding" materia on everyone else, and there are no materia loadouts, so you'd have to manually swap from one character to another, assuming they even gave the option to do so. I had some issues in the last boss fight because most of the characters had trash materia on them.
I really need a nier automata moment! Where it switched between A2 and 9S during mid boss fights. Always found that super cool considering the fights happened close to each other but with separate bosses, it kept transitioning between the 2 fights. FF7 can definitely do something epic like this considering the huge amount of party members now.
Same here. I really did like that too, when they forced you to play different party members during the boss fights and during the last fight we had to use everyone and more, which I really liked. One of the reasons why I like RPGs is the party based aspect that's why.
I didn't mind it but there is a clear biasness with cait. Not only does he get an entire section of his own solo but in this last gauntlet they force him on you twice. Not cool.
@@Walamonga1313 If you dont understand what's happening I can understand why you feel that way, but when you get that Cloud's mental state is even more fucked up than it was in the original it feels a lot sadder
This comment will get buried, but I just need to say it: Max, this was the first time I played a video game and followed along with video streams. It made my experience with this game infinitely more enjoyable. Thank you for the amazing content. Looking forward to your final review and analysis.
@Evanz111 The only downside is the the streamers don't do the sidequests in the same order you do them, so you get spoiled in some parts....not a big deal cause they're sidequests
I hope that Max’s theorizing and all those stream thinking is uploaded too because goddamn. I remember from the remake when he was like, “I need cigarette.” The feeling is back full force This game has been absolutely INSANE. I got such chills when Cloud was trying to resist then “blocked” the strike. Not to mention the sheer gauntlet of bosses. Thanks so much for playing this Max! There’s so much to chew on
Yeah he mentioned on Twitter his descent into madness once again will be uploaded lol. Much more condensed though. I think on the stream he beat the game and then was going for another 6 hours about the ending. Was a fun watch
I know I just posted a comment about Hollows lyrics, because bro it fits his Thoery so god damn well, I was listening to the song right after I heard his theory and my friggin jaw dropped to the floor
@@calciferrr Yeah I watched the Easy Allies spoiler talk with Max and then went back and finished watching the Finale Stream. It’s so much fun seeing Max form the theories in real time with chat. Hopefully that’s added to UA-cam and not super cut down because honestly the theory crafting is so much fun
Well, problem was that very theorycrafting he did after he beat the game attracted some unpleasant people of the shipping community so yeah probably he will cut it down when uploaded to YT and even then, it may restroke whatever controversy it started
Bro when the fucking music kicks in as jenova appears and aeriths theme just pours your heart all over the floor oh my days this game is a masterpiece. So excited for part 3. Played the original in 1997 when i was 13 years old. This is my childhood man. Much love max.
Yo Max, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the videos, your banter is top-notch and your passion for FFVII is a joy to watch. I played this as a kid on a friends PlayStation and never got to finish it. Loved seeing where it leads + you talk about when it differs from the OG too. I've never actually watched anyone stream games before, but as a new dad I knew I wouldn't have much chance to play it & finances are too tight to buy a new PS5 just for this one game. These videos helped me get through some tough times when baby wouldn't sleep! Will continue to follow along all your FF content. Keep it up dood, from NZ.
I played OG as an adult about 5 years ago and couldn't believe what I was missing out on. Even in this short amount of time, I have become so attached to FFVII, and Rebirth was unfathomably good. 115 hours to complete what I wanted to do and I still wanna go back just to go live in the world. I honestly can't believe how incredible this experience has been.
@@romanhorizon I probably had the goofiest looking smile ever. I smiled these whole two games but I didn't expect that at all and was thinking about it for days haha
It shouldn't have happened until part 3. It would feel earned then, when Cloud knew fully who he really was and people who didn't play the original finally knew who Zack was.
Has anyone noticed that in two different frames when cloud is holding the materia in his hand at 1:28:20 is the hollow/clear materia but at 1:28:22 it’s the black materia. And this is before he’s put either of them in his pocket!
I played the whole game and then watched Max play through all of remake and rebirth. I’m at the end and I wanna do it all over again. I think these playthroughs will be my comfort tv until part 3 comes out. Thanks Max.
I really can't wait to see where we start in the next game. I wonder if they put us right at the Great Glacier. I can't wait to see how Vincent and Cid play.. back to the long wait we go!
I platinum'd this game in with 213 hours played, and i still could not get enough of the EZA Spoilermode with max and watching every single minute of all 28 parts to this playthru. Love your insights, Max. i always pick up on new things when i watch you play FF7 due to your attention to detail and commentary.
I thought it was great. Its different but not so different that it takes away from the main plot. I love that Cloud can still see Aerith and that she will still be fighting with us, in her own way. Incredible game, thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. The last string of boss fights were some of the best gaming I've ever gamed.
And so it begins. A confluence of worlds… and emotions. Loss, chief among them. It engulfs fleeting moments of joy, transforming them into rage, sadness, hatred. Never have I felt them so keenly. - *Sephiroth*
So my theory behind the death scene is this; When sephiroth shoed cloud the other worlds he says "I give you my blessing" so that's gave clouds the ability to see the tear in the sky and because of that is seeing different worlds/ timelines in parallel with his own so he thinks he saved aerith but she still dies cause he's seeing 2 worlds simultaneously. This helps further his unreliable narrator plot especially with him having some sort of memory of Zack in this game which shouldn't happen. When aerith dies you see the glitch effect between cloud holding her and shouting at sephiroth in anguish like in the OG
Max leans heavily on the idea that Cloud is purely mentally broken and Hallucinating, and he's ignoring what the game kept trying to tell him about parallel worlds, and what Sephiroth said about "hiding". Aerith is using what generates alternate worlds (split possibilities from major events i.e. her living/ dying) in order to hide and complete her plan, and Cloud is somewhat in on it but not enough to understand the enormity of alternate worlds. He forgot that the sum total of all the alternate world stuff from remake>rebirth just amounted to "Parallel worlds exist". If Cloud was simply making up things that weren't there in order to cope, Red wouldn't have noticed Aerith's presence and Cloud wouldn't have hallucinated what I guess is a "parallel earth sky". Cloud being mentally messed up is honestly not a much of a plot point so far in this one compared to Sephiroth's influence on his mind (see: Cloud flashing to Aerith's death the first time he meets her in Remake). They even have him start to remember who Zack is earlier that they did in the OG. I don't think Max realizes "Cloud's mental breakdown makes him make up things that aren't real" is actually a really lame plot point and Square realizes that too, and they downplaying that as much as possible. Max elsewhere also talks about how Aerith might be a Jenova imitator, and honestly it really doesn't fit. Aerith clearly isn't visible or known to the rest of the cast, and I don't think we've ever known Jenova to both imitate someone and also be ethereal at the same time. Jenova's MO, as is clearly shown in Cetra times, is imitating and infiltrating. It makes no sense to imitate just for Cloud and remain behind. Max's theories are really interesting, but always go about two levels deeper than Square themselves seem to want to go. Max thought that there were going to just be two cohesive parallel timelines a-la Back to the Future, and what ended up happening was far less cogent and important than that.
i thinks its not different world or parallel.. more like its mirror world, 1 is real world and 1 is lifestream world.. like marlene said, "she will die if she wake up" means she go to lifestream world if she died in real world.. and biggs in coma state thats why he in lifestream world.. dunno about wedge and jessie not in there, and why marlene in there too..
@@megamandrn001Max is not the only one how thinks that Aerith is a Jenova clone that he are seeing from the point when the party. Look how that Aerirh are almost showing up whit kind of the same pose as seperoth is turning against cloud in Nibelhim. So that Aerith is not a real one. And him making things up is not a lame plot point. Trauma makes ceazy thi gs whit your brain. Well normal stress does it to. I for exempel was 100% sure that I had forgott my Keys in a store. So my besin remebered it clearly even if they was in my pants in my aparrment.
Either way this game has made me equally if not more excited than when KH2 first came out before they went off the rails with all the side game before KH3
I feel like in true OG JRPG fashion this is one of those games that just refuses to end, always growing in scope, and always surprising you with just one more thing. It was fantastic seeing the "overworld" map and the world of FF7 opening up to you little by little. Thanks for all the work you and the crew put into this, the quality and love really shows! What a ride this series was!
My tinfoil hat/headcanon is; in the JENOVA fight, Yuffie yelling "Get that shit outta here!" was included because the devs watched Max playing through Remake. He said that so often in the beginning, when testing out Cloud's punisher/counter setup. The childlike wonder each time he pummelled someone and yelled it had to have inspired them. Amazing playthrough, thanks for the ride.
Ok that would be hella cute. I'm sure the devs had their fun watching players get hype about the combat once they started figuring it out. Its a very "You're playing with us Peter" from Hook lol
As a massive OG FF7 fan, I loved this game, how it told the story it told, and how it ended. Perfect way to respect the legacy of the original, while leaving room for new stuff - just the right balance between resolution and epic finale moments, and lingering unease and tension that is just right for an "entry 2 out of 3" ending in a trilogy, that leaves you immediately absolutely THIRSTING for the 3rd game even after 100+ hours of playing this one, with zero burnout in sight. This game was damn near perfect overall, and imo it's going to go down in history as one of the best RPGs (certainly, JRPGs) of all time.
Cloud’s mental is destroyed by the ending, that’s why he THINKS he blocked Sephiroth’s sword but he doesn’t. He THINKS aertith wakes up but she doesn’t. He THINKS she’s still alive but she isn’t. The party sees everything that actually is happening, cloud sees what’s happening in his mind and the audience/player sees both.
Thank you Square for doing what you wanted to do and ignoring the cynics, the enthusiasm has shone through the screen in ways I never could have imagined. Loved the playthrough Max, we are truly final fantasy 7 bro's for life (said in Johnny cadence)
@@kenmasters1803 Marvel are doing this stuff because their franchise selling point ran dry! They ran out of movie ideas, so they did the multiverse stuff. Did Square run out of final fantasy 7 ideas? Nope, because they didn't churn out 3/4 games a year on FF7 like marvel did movies 👍 Lazy comparisons, pity all of them are negative tinted (wow, how convenient!)
1:30:00 That’s the Black Materia that this Gi’s will get back to activate there “WEAPONS”. If you read the chapter summaries when Nanaki is doing his Gi Trials he activating an “Emerald” Shrine, a “Ruby” Shrine & “Amber” Shrine. Edit-Chapter 10 Voice Within, your 3 objectives in that are Ruby Emerald and Amber Altar. Amber isn’t the name of a original WEAPON though, but it would make sense from a narrative point to have the Gi activate Meteor and the 3 WEAPONS to help wipe out all of humanity. While Sephiroth focuses on the war he started to have humanity destroy itself. Plus Sephiroth has his own small army of hooded figures he can use to help him cause chaos in the war. Edit 2: Just realized Cloud did save Aerith but because we are in a world where Sephiroth is extra strong and can use the Whispers to control fate he undid it. Just like Aerith did with Zack. She saw what would of happened if Zack would of went to Hojo or to the church and basically said “No im gonna change that” and chose for that timelines events to be Zack goes to see Biggs. Plus by then in that timeline Sephiroth already killed her in the church. So now she “Omi Aerith” in that timeline like Sephiroth is Omi in the timeline we play in. There are 2 fixed points/cannon events in FF7 Aeriths death & Sephiroths death and Cloud saving Aerith just made possible timelines where instead of Aerith dying they stop Sephiroth right then & there and everybody goes home a live nice long lives and the power and knowledge she needs is from those future timelines. That’s why she has her own Whispers when she joins the fight with Cloud at the end, because she can control her (rainbow) timeline she has her own Whispers. (Theory)
I thought the Gi just wanted to summon Meteor too, I just think the OG weapons are from the time the planet created them for when Jenova fell in case the Cetra would fail to contain it, the same way it now created those new ones we saw in Corel and Gongaga The OG weapons are still sound asleep in the crater and will wake up when Meteor is summoned
@@kilkkiller Lmfao, I was gonna make a video about it but the Ultimatum is coming out so I wanted to put it out there before it confirmed or disproves my theory. If you have the game you go to the “Quest” screen when you press start and go to the chapter where you do the Gi’s trials. You’ll see it there.
@@moto3112 Yeah and if the Gi get the Black Materia that happens too, but from a narrative stand point it makes more sense to make the Gi’s the makers of these WEAPONS to be the Gi’s anti WEAPONS to make sure all of humanity was wiped out. For how the stories going now it would be hard to spin a narrative that the planets using them to make sure humanity was wiped out and then stop Meteor. Plus we still don’t know what the og ff 7 WEAPONS where suppose to do to stop Meteor. There is a chance we could see that in the next game but then why would we need to fight them. Also if it was as simple as Sephiroth gets the Black Materia and summons Meteor, why would he give it back to Cloud at the end of the game, I don’t think it’s just so Cloud could give it to him again in the next game. Sephiroth can focus on the war he started to have humanity destroyed itself to go along with the Gi making sure Meteor and (basically) the anti WEAPONS happens. Also that war is with 3 parties. Shinra, Wutai & Septiroth because we can’t forget Sephiroth has dozens or hundreds of Black Robes dudes that he can turn into. Imagine a battle going on with Shinra vs Wutai and 10 Black Robes guys show up. Sephiroth would have all he’d need to kill everyone on that battlefield.
@@moto3112It’s more from a narrative stand point. It makes more sense to have the Gi also have these anti WEAPONS to help destroy humanity along with Meteor. For how the stories going now it would be hard to use the og narritive that these WEAPONS are from the planet and are when activated gonna destroy humanity and then stop Meteor. Plus we still don’t know what the WEAPONS from the og ff7 where gonna do to stop Meteor. If they where gonna help stop Meteor then there’s no reason to fight them in the next game. Plus Cloud literally gave him the Black Materia in this game, I doubt he gave it back to Cloud at the end of this game just to have him give it to him give it back to him in the next game. Specially with the addition of these anti Cetra people who want the Black Materia. Sephiroths new plan is war. Help humanity destroy itself. There’s a war of 3 parties Shinra, Wutai and Sephiroth. Imagine if there’s a Shinra vs Wutai battle going on and 10 Black Robbed dudes show up. Sephiroth would have all he would need to kill everyone on that battle field. Instead of just focusing on Meteor he can use his army of Black Robbed guys to cause chaos all over the world in the war in the next game.
Some things I noticed that gets overlooked: - Cloud isn't imagining Aerith because 1) Red feels her touch him in the ending 2) Tifa sees the shifting worlds of Aerith covered in blood and not covered in blood. There are subtle signs, but Cloud is clearly NOT crazy when he's seeing her alive. - When Glenn appears at the end, it says Glenn & Sephiroth together instead of just showing Sephiroth. It seems both Glenn and Seph might actually be together instead of Seph being the only puppeteer. After all, Glenn was with Seph during all of Ever Crisis. - The Clear Materia is the "purest materia" that the Gi talked about that they "filled with their malice." Now Cloud has it, so it's neither good nor bad at the moment. Depends on what feelings he puts inside of it.
I dunno about the first point. Nanaki has always been in touch with the Life Stream more than others. Maybe he felt her presence, her soul, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's there
I think similar to Sephiroth existing in multiple worlds while synchronized like during the Bizzaro Sephiroth fight, Cloud might be existing in two worlds and perceiving both. So Aerith IS there but in another world. He might have saved her but in another world and in a world that is doomed to die like some of the other worlds. Would explain why Nanaki could sense her as someone Lifestream sensative. Why Cloud sees the rift in the sky. And why Cloud can see Aerith. We might have saved her in a way but still lose her in the end, me thinks. Saving Aerith just to still say goodbye to her in part 3 sounds fairly in line with how the Remake trilogy is doing a lot of the same but hitting harder or differently.
If this doesn't win GOTY this year, I'm going to lose my sh__! Gotta to admit. This is the ultimate Final Fantasy game I've seen. Knowing that the Remake was the setup for Rebirth all this time, FF7 Rebirth is definitely at a even higher plateau than the rest of the sequels combined. Just like you Max,.. mind blown 🤯 One the greatest playthroughs from your stock
The rainbow light really did have meaning.. i just got it watching max's playthrough.. theres 3 characters who have that light, 3 who could cause timeline splits
Cloud absolutely could not move that sword to save Aerith when the whispers were trying to keep the past/fate from changing. 10:23 clearly shows the lifestream free Clouds sword so he can deflect Sephiroth's attack and save Aerith. It clearly surrounds his buster sword. Then at 11:06 we see a temporal shift (you'll notice the soundtrack/song double back) to the timeline we're all familiar with from the past where Aerith gets skewered like a shish kebab at a 4th of July BBQ. Clearly there's a universe where Cloud saves Aerith, the question is, will it be the universe we get to see off at the end of the trilogy? Perhaps for the final game there can be multiple endings depending on your choices/completion percentage?
I agree with you, even Tifa had a glimpse of it for a moment. But yes a living Aerith seems to exist in another timeline but for the rest of the party she is gone.
I think Aerith we see at the pool and final cutscene is not real Aerith, but Cloud's imagination of her. Because, the way she communicates with him is very plain and she says only things she either said before to Cloud, or what Cloud wants to hear from her. Max had a nice observation that real Aerith tried to protect him all this time from going after Sephiroth and told him take care of his mental health, but this Aerith encourages it? Nope! Something is not right. It doesn't have to be Jenova's influence, maybe just his imagination. And another good observation is that Aerith appears near the party only when Cloud pays attention to them. Also, we can't deny a possibility Cloud saved her in other timeline and he really blocked Septh's attack. Maybe she also tries to prevent him from final breakdown and calms him down at the moment. But I believe, it's not the same Aerith we see in the very end. OG Aerith appears, when they both fight Sephiroth at the edge of the creation.
So glad to have gone this journey with you, Max! Thank you for letting us follow you as you played the game! Can't wait to see what theories you make of it!
I just noticed something I didn’t before. At 3:52 the black whispers are literally brushing away the white ones when Cloud steps forward. I’m fully convinced the black whispers are controlled by Sephiroth. At first I didn’t notice which whispers opened the path for Cloud but now I see it’s only the black ones who did while the white ones don’t want him to get through at all. I think the white ones are connected to an omniscient Aerith and she knows she has to die and maybe she wants to spare Cloud from the pain because this is one of the biggest contributors to him loosing his mind.
I think you're right. I'm pretty sure someone says at some point flat out that the black whispers are controlled by sephiroth. And it def seems the white ones are controlled/associated with etc. Aerith. And you're point about Sephiroth wanting to let cloud through makes sense for the exact reason you said.
That's not even speculation about the black whispers; the game outright confirms it multiple times(Cloud even says so when they arrive at the temple). Sephiroth literally appears from a horde of the black whispers in the final fight against Zack and Cloud, uses them while fighting Aerith and Cloud, and remember what Tifa saw after reliving her memories in the lifestream? In fact there are 2 instances in which Sephiroth appears to Cloud in the same chapter from said whispers. Even if that wasn't enough, the Rebirth Ultimania has stated officially this is the case. So you were right on the money with that part :) The white ones are still a mystery though. The only time we're shown Aerith is controlling them is the very last fight. While I think your idea would be a cool concept, until we get more evidence to support that, I'm thinking it's more along the lines of the planet didn't want them to interfere with Aerith's "destiny" that was a bit less predictable since they literally defeated destiny. But she's still a crucial player in saving the planet, and Cloud and co. running in there early could ruin it even though they were just worried for her safety
@@everlastingflames13I think the white ones just exist in the lifestream. Aerith being in the lifestream and being able to control it in a way allows her to control them. That is my theory.
Finally!!! I finished my playthrough two weeks ago, so have been waiting for you to post your finale. I still feel empty after playing the game. Just need to stay alive to see part 3
Dude I just noticed the music with creepy Aerith at 1:21:49 is the same as or is very similar to what plays at 1:16:44. Max had a stream where he talked a lot about that music and had Alex Moukala analyze it, they said it doesn't play anywhere else but it first appears there, after Aerith and Cloud defeat Sephiroth. On the OST it's called Everybody's Waiting.
I share Max's age and perspective on Final Fantasy 7. I played and watched everything in the order it came out, when it came out. And I mean the good along with the bad. I was there too. It's been a lifelong obsession with me too. And this game is more than I ever hoped for back in those days and it is definitely one of the greatest games of all-time if not my personal favorite. That is all.
The Rebirth ending is excellent, builds something new to the table to keep it fresh for the main audience, also keeps the newer audience intrigued. Can't wait for Part 3!
People say it "ruined someone's death" isn't true at all. Who said that character passing away is going to happen just in rebirth alone? This thing can happen in the next game also and it'll be more contextualised and maybe better. But as rebirtb as a standalone game, I can understand why the death is criticised. At the end of the day, we're here for a 3 part story like any other great trilogy be it star wars or lord of the rings or kung fu panda. So see the bigger picture.
@@dee_dee4640 At this point, you'll be crazier than a person who doesn't expect it to have multiverse plots. Even in 2020, people didn't expect it to be a 1:1 considering the first part is midgar and in FF1997 midgar was only 5 hours, anyone with logic would know some things would be changed and expanded upon. However, with this multiversal plot going on, it all comes down to the third act, if it lands it can be one of the greatest multiverse stories ever told, if not it's just a confusing mess with a big ideal. Look at Everything Everywhere All at Once, it's a great multiverse story, it doesn't have to be a multiverse story to begin with considering how down to earth the story takes place and who the characters are. It's about a family, a father and a mother contemplating their place in life and their daughter who has nihilistic views on the world but with the multiverse element added to it, it makes everything better. To this day I still don't understand the bagel metaphor but I'm sure it's the reason why this multiverse movie is so good. Okay I have 3 more multiverse stories to go through so stick with me. Next is The spiderverse trilogy, into the spiderverse was essentially different spider people coming together and miles journey to becoming Spiderman and across the spiderverse is essentially miles fighting destiny or canon event in hopes to save his dad's life, this is almost similar to Cloud and Gang fighting the arbiters of fate in remake. Except Remake came first before across the spiderverse. Also one of the best plot twist in modern cinema is when miles thought he went back to his universe only to discover he went to a universe similar to his. That plot twist was so jaw dropping I was stunned. Next is Steins gate, enough is said with this masterpiece, it's a man testing fate itself to save two people he cares about when there's only one option presented. Rintaro essentially reversed time back 3000+ times just so he can find the good ending. I think part 3 is gonna go the same route, that's just my game theory. Basically no matter what cloud does Aerith still dies, cloud hops between timelines to the "canon event" and no matter how many times cloud tries, Aerith dies and there's gonna be this big emotional scene where cloud comes to terms with fate or something like that but that's just my game theory. Next is Marvel's what if season 1 episode 4, it's also leans heavily on the idea of a canon event but it's called the nexus point. Basically Dr Strange tries over and over again to save his girlfriend from dying but it's inevitable, at the end, Dr Strange has to bare the consequences of breaking the nexus point and the collapse of the universe because of his actions, a story about a man with a lot of grief trying to change the impossible.
@@dee_dee4640 These multiverse stories are great and FF7 Re: trilogy can be one of the greatest multiverse games if it lands the 3rd act. Your disgust with multiverse stories is because of Marvel and how their multiverse saga drag this plot element through the mud. But I also proved that if it's great then it's an award winning film like Everything Everywhere All at once. List a game with a multiverse plot that's amongst the likes of steins gate and isn't confusing as heck, kingdom hearts sure doesn't count. Oh, I also forgot to mention Loki. Yeah anyways multiversal stories can be a great thing if done right. Now, wait till 2027 and we can finally judge the story for what it is.
@@dee_dee4640 A story like everything everywhere all at once, the spiderverse trilogy, Steins gate, Marvel's what if season 1 episode 4 are all great multiverse stories. It's just how they're going to stick the perfect landing for part 3.
there are so many incredibly hype moments in the game emphasized by music, but i really think my favorite one is the ending fight with sephiroth where the whispers finish returning to him and you just get SLAPPED with one-winged angel. 10/10 top notch moment
Flawless production and sequence choices and reactions of course plus family stuff is wholesome. Great stuff Max, I'm glad some random comment on UA-cam brought me to you. Side note: Sad that your dragon's dogma 2 official pawn didn't scale like other streamer's pawns did.
It's absolutely wild that you uploaded this yesterday because I always felt like our pacing was more or less aligned, but I had to focus on work the last couple weeks so I figured you'd beaten it last week. I beat the game last night and nope, here's your vid not even 24 hours later haha
Either Areth is simultaneously dead and alive due to alternate realities merging (thanks Sephiroth), or it's all in Cloud's head cause Sephiroth is fucking with him.
Pretty excited for part 3. There's already so much of the original that we'll probably see: huge materia, weapons, chocobo breeding, Northern Continent, return to Midgar. Gameplay wise, I think there's some room to expand. Besides more playable characters, we get more limit breaks and materia, maybe live party swapping, I'd like to see summons made a little more flexible to accommodate the having of more Summon materia, and maybe a hot take, but I'd like to see materia crafting. Anyway, lots of possibilities. So hyped!
Absolutely insane game. Its so hard to put into words. The graphics, the gameplay, the story, the characters, the locations, the voice acting and THE GOOD DAMN MUSIC. Jesus. Best time I've ever had with a game period. And still some people are complaining about there being like 2-3 meh hours in a 120 hour RPG. The fucking vitriol with some folks. Must be tough to never be happy. However, this game made me incredibly happy and will do so for a long time to come. Just like the OG.
I doubt anyone’s gonna see this but just imagine in 10 years hell even five years we’re gonna be able to come back and replay through all three games back to back to back
@@blazinchimp1671but as we know all these splinter timelines are fated to expire, her being dead in the prime timeline is the important part. Both Sephiroth as well as the white whispers know this.
36:09 What this party screen shows and doesn't show is really important. First, every playable character minus Sephiroth is in the list, including Aerith and Zack. Second, the only person you can see on the screen is Cloud unless you go out of your way to select other characters. I think this is showing that everyone in this fight is alive but in different timelines. They're all connected even if they aren't physically existing in the same space. Cloud and Zack hail from two different timelines, which is why you can see Cloud but not Zack. This Cloud is from a timeline where he saved Aerith, so you can see him but not the rest of the party. The Aerith who fights with you in the final battle is the R Aerith from the timeline where she died-- this is why she says "I saw what you did back there. Thank you."
Or is just so you can change your party equipment lmao. Pretty sure this is the only time you can during this boss. Zack being invisible could just be a glitched, others are invisible bc they’re currently not with you.
@@lulu_TheWitchBoy Max and I come from a time when you couldn't transfer equipment from dead party members to living party members. Aerith left all her materia behind when she went to the Forbidden City in 1997 but if you didn't deequip her armor beforehand then it was gone permanently. Is having former party members in the roster regardless of dead or alive status common practice in 2024?
@@catkaboodle The simple fact is that they were on that menu simply because they were still in fights. Aerith is dead but she still technically had a fight that you needed to equip her for, nothing more and nothing less. Whether or not she is dead dead or not, won't know til part 3 but I hope she is. I hope they keep it basically the same.
Listening to all of Max’s wild theories as we’ve been waiting for the answers has been a highlight of FF7 UA-cam content. If they stick to the trilogy idea, then I’m so glad that we’ll finally get to hear which predictions were correct, whilst also getting blindsided by some wacky unexpected stuff too.
@@jogsi1558going to be interesting to see what they decide. 10 would be probably the most financially viable but it doesn't particularly need the treatment. 8 could definitely benefit from getting the remake And while I would love 6, I think it's probably just too big an ask to do it in this style.
I subscribed to your page solely for your FF7 Rebirth review I had no doubt it was going to be good but just the bang for your buck for a AAA game is mind boggling. Th absolutely 100% I'm hearing it's like 200-300 hrs
My theory is this. Cloud is witnessing the convergence of two worlds - the world where he saves aerith and the world where he fails to do so. That’s why when he looks up he sees that rift thing and the others don’t, and it’s also why the others don’t see aerith but he does.
12:16 I think the cuts to different timeline in this scene is suppose to be Cloud from the original FF7 and the reason we don’t hear what he’s saying is because we already know what he said.
The whales having their materia glowing pale green signifies that the White Materia has answered Aerith's prayer. Don't forget the reason Aerith choose to die is because she knows her Death is the catalyst for Holy. Without her death the planet cannot be saved.
@@TearsofaLunarian "Glowing pale green" I did not say they were green. I said they started Glowing a pale green... which they did. In the original that is the sign the White Materia has answered the prayers and is ready to cast Holy. People really fucking lack basic listening skills.
12:15 I think those glitches where Cloud is talking but his voice is muted is his “true self” emerging from within himself. I say this because these glitches occur whenever any semblance of “truth” is revealed to Cloud and it contradicts the illusion Cloud is under. The “SOLDIER First Class” Cloud doesn’t morn or cry when his friends or comrades die, however the real Cloud does.
Now that we know Sephiroth has been hunting Aerith in every timeline, the intro scene of Remake makes a lot of sense. The Sephiroth theme plays while Aerith is in the alley and she gets spooked and runs away.
Oh yeah, great catch. And also they changed the ending of remake to match the tone of rebirth. Aerith hates the steel sky now because she sees the crack on the sky.
That totally makes sense...!
Square Enix mapped this whole story out before they even started remake... This is gonna be their ultimate baby.
Damnn nice catch! And then the flower gets crushed as if to remind her of her fate
Making Sephiroth a fucking multiversal Dahaka is honestly a great idea.
Start 0:00
Cutscene 2:50
Aerith Praying... (Gameplay + Cutscene) 8:13
Jenova Phase 1 14:50
Jenova Phase 2 18:30
Jenova Phase 3 20:55
Jenova Phase 4 26:28
End of Jenova Boss fight 33:40
Start of Sephiroth Boss fight Cutscene 34:00
Cloud and Zack vs Sephiroth 36:07
Cloud Vs Sephiroth Reborn 40:00
Tifa, Red XIII and Cait Sith vs Bahamut Arisen Whisper 43:40
Zack vs Sephiroth reborn 48:15
Red XIII, Barrett and Yuffie vs Sephiroth Reborn 51:47
THE FINAL FIGHT 58:22
Sephiroth defeated CUTSCENE 1:16:00
Zack cutscene 1:17:45
CUTSCENE 1:18:45
cutscene 1:20:30
Rufus Cutscene 1:23:15
Weapon cutscene 1:25:56
Zack Cutscene 1:26:28
Nibelheim cutscene 1:27:23
THE FINAL CUTSCENE 1:27:57
Credits 1:34:00
Anyways Imma slowly go back and leave timestamps for all the pervious parts I missed. Part 1-4 and Part 15-28 all have timestamps at the moment. I'm not really sure how you would find my comment but they are in there somewhere. I'll edit this comment whenever I end up doing an extra part. Bye
Absolutely incredible work mate, thank you!
The thing I appreciate about zack is that he actually talks to sephiroth. It's a quick couple of lines but he's trying to reach sephiroth's humanity. Don't think anyone has tried since the flashback.
He also doesn't know everything that's happened in the years since his "death". What Cloud and the group have been doing to try to stop Sephiroth, and what all they've been through. But still, when he's there with Cloud in that moment, he just knows he has to fight. He knows that Sephiroth is Threat Number One.
You're right. No one has tried that. Not even Cloud. Understandably, Sephiroth murdered Cloud's mother and village and tried to kill Tifa, but I always found it strange that Cloud didn't at least once try to reach Sephiroth to understand exactly wtf happened to him. Maybe a "snap the fuck out of it" or something.
Unfortunately, Sephiroth is far too gone now. He made himself evil.
Cloud has never had a real relationship with sephiroth. Cloud was just a jobber assigned to a mission with two great people.
In crisis core it’s heavily implied that Zack has had considerable amount of time with sephiroth. Zack was partially trained by him and worked with him for probably years. So for Zack to see his good buddy do crazy stuff when they are both soldiers, that means something to him.
and what i love as well is how quickly and simply sephiroth shoots him down
zack: "how could you do all that and turn your back on everyone"
seph: "easily"
like damn okay dawg
Zacks the true hero.
Did you notice that when the fight with Jenova starts, everyone has their limit except Cloud? They’re all in a heightened state because they saw Aerith dead. Cloud still thinks she’s alive so he didn’t start the fight with his limit. I think it’s his mind repressing painful memories/reality again.
Max notice at Twitch stream.
Yeah, I think it's more Sephiroth mind-fuckery. Like at the end, he still sees Aerith and acts like she's still alive, and that she's just staying behind for whatever reason. I think in his mind, he did save her and that she's still alive to him, but the reality is that she is dead, and it'll probably be something he has to come to terms with in Mideel, just like the rest of the mind-fuckery he dealt with in the original.
@@AzureKyle Nanaki sensed her nearby in that last scene.
@@PersonMcHuman He probably sensed her in the lifestream watching over them, but she's not really there.
Tbh, I don’t think it’s that deep. Everybody hitting their limit break on an endgame boss fight is hype. Cloud is going to have much more opportunity to get his LB up than everyone else. Not much deeper to go than that
130 hours till the end...
But what will you do with it? Let's see.
Mostly combat simulators and Queens blood lol
@@Disaster_Dan*jazz intensifies*
Fucking crawl into a hole of my own doing for approximately 7 hours.
The boss fight had me fighting with the ps5, the controlled, the husband, my cat.
I couldn't eat or sleep or stand up
mini games until I break the controller
@@sentientmustache8360 "Play the Cactuar, Cloud." - Sephiroth
Cloud: Zack? But you drowned in a river?!
Zack: I did what now?
😂😂 wish they met again
@@mhmd_763most likely will. Maybe he’ll play an even bigger part in the final disc. Already pumped for more info about it.
@@touvampire same but we’ll have to wait till 2027 :(
@@mhmd_763 yups
I WISH CLOUD SAID THAT 😂
For you youtube watchers only, I want you to know he spent roughly the next 6 hours of the stream this episode came from talking about the game and theorizing.
Dont know if youll get all of it, but you better prepare for the madness youre gonna get from him
not just 6hr, but more
I’m a youtube watcher, and I've listened to Max's impressions of this ending on the Spoiler Mode podcast. It’s actually wild what he said about the ending lol
So there will be an upcoming episode where he will share his theories?
@@GodOfAI_ possibly but the latest Rebirth Spoiler Mode does a good job of that as well 😂
And then we had a whole ass 9 hour music appreciation stream on a whim lol 😂
"What the Hell is going on?!" Zack, ever voicing the thoughts of the player.
I feel bad for Zack lmao because, from the POV of Crisis Core, Zack was just headed back to Midgar with Cloud when his luck ran out and he's killed. But now if he DID survive, he's stuck in a multiverse 🤯
😂 what a game. Loved every bit of it.
Personally don't think that's a good thing
2 - 585
I’ve never played a game this long without getting bored. I played it obsessively. Loved it.
Same here. The only other games I can think of are Persona 5 and Baldurs Gate 3
The transition into the Jenova fight, the writing, the cinematography, THE MUSIC and gameplay! It's friggin unbelievable. This Remake series dude...
Fact
world record for the number of elixirs used in a single battle
I read your comment before the battle, it just made it even funnier in the moment. 😂
To be fair anything higher than 1 was in with a good shot at that record. Gamers don't use high level healing items. We save them all for the No Claims Bonus after the credits roll.
I love watching streamers get to the end. You can tell exactly who’s played the OG FF7 - they hesitate to approach Aerith because they’re absolutely terrified of what might happen.
me everytime i remotely went near a platform that looked like where she might be 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I think that’s why they dump all those extra side quests on you before you start chapter 13.. I was trying to extend my time as long as I could with the party knowing what was coming towards the end
You can also tell the OG players as most of them switch to the Buster Sword for the end
I was one of the OG. Thought Aerith died for good, took out her healing materia, only for her to appear in the last battle and being useless.
@kura2ninja944 Huh? Aerith has set materia for this fight, she’s already left the party.
35:35 DUDE Zack and Cloud holding their swords in opposite ways just like they hang them on their backs facing opposite ways AHHH
Basically a mirror.
It’s because Angeal was able to tell Zack not to use the sharp side but Zack failed to pass on the memo.
So good.
@@aaronballard8211 also part of the reason Zack uses kicks and punches with his combat style as well
@@aaronballard8211 "Use brings about wear tear and rust. And that's a real waste"
Cloud sticking his sword into every surface imaginable:
I had to force myself to stop doing minigames and side quests so I can see how this game ends. 150 hours for me. This has been one of best video games I ever played. Simply unbelievable. THIS is system seller. So much content no DLC or microtransactions. Thank you to everyone who worked on this and thank you Max for another amazing let's play.
Same, just couldn't wait anymore with all those videos popping up on UA-cam with "ff7 rebirth ending explained". So I just went to final encounter, either will start from last saved file or start it over .
109 hours for me, but I skipped Ultimate Party Animal and Gilgamesh island....my interest level didn't match the difficulty I had dealing with those.
I had to do the same. Spoilers were lurking everywhere
Man I spent 170...gives me so much hope for gaming..this is how it should be I hope when the game becomes multi platform square gets more credit they deserve it
@@DiCGanimation Same I finished it a couple of weeks ago. When u get back to Costa del Sol and u get more side quests for the regions I just couldn't wait anymore. I had done almost everything but, I wasn't prepeared to spend another couple of hours on side quests xD I NEED TO KNOW HOW IT ENDED!
I'm so glad I equipped Cloud with the Buster Sword for the final battle....that one shot of him and Zack both wielding it is so sick
I just learn the knew skill of other swords and switch back to the old Buster Sword. It's too iconic to leave off him, I just overcome thr shortcomings it has compared to the other swords
brandon !
7:07 Dang those ancients, and their crazy old vending machines. Those goofballs...
Even ancient civilizations need refreshments. 😜
mass production and shopping malls! They get everybody in all worlds of everything 😆
The ancient mahatma books division running for you for more than 2 millenia...
The art of the vending machine was lost to time until an ancient Cetran ruin was uncovered.
Japanese Vending Machine culture making it across to the other countries through FF7 lol
Max's silent WTF at 40:50 says everything about Bizzaro Sephiroth suddenly showing up 😂
I already thought the Whisper Harbinger from Remake was essentially Bizarro Sephiroth, thought 'This is a pretty good adaptation of that split fight.' Sephiroth Reborn just blows it out of the water.
They clowned so hard making you fight Bizarro already, not to mention this already had like 10 phases. What's final fight in part 3 gonna be like, 30 phase final boss?
omg I'm so excited @@Walamonga1313
@@Walamonga1313 I'm only seeing one clown around here clowning hard, it's you sir 🙏🤡
@@Walamonga1313 I agree that 10 phases was a bit of an ask but clowning? You're welcome to your opinions but that's just being dramatic for the sake of being dramatic
This game is a masterpiece, not only spent my own 130 hours playing it, but watched every minute of your 28 videos and I already still can't wait to play it again on PC, outstanding in every way.
I love when the game forces you to play as the other characters, and especially in times like the end when everyone has to work together. This really brings the "party" together and makes everyone feel more powerful rather than just playing as Cloud the whole time. Hope to see more of it in Part 3!
I liked that too, sort of. The one thing that ruined that for me was that most people, myself included, play with "good" materia on characters they play, and "grinding" materia on everyone else, and there are no materia loadouts, so you'd have to manually swap from one character to another, assuming they even gave the option to do so. I had some issues in the last boss fight because most of the characters had trash materia on them.
I really need a nier automata moment! Where it switched between A2 and 9S during mid boss fights.
Always found that super cool considering the fights happened close to each other but with separate bosses, it kept transitioning between the 2 fights. FF7 can definitely do something epic like this considering the huge amount of party members now.
Same here. I really did like that too, when they forced you to play different party members during the boss fights and during the last fight we had to use everyone and more, which I really liked. One of the reasons why I like RPGs is the party based aspect that's why.
im pretty sure we'll play half of the third game without cloud .
I didn't mind it but there is a clear biasness with cait. Not only does he get an entire section of his own solo but in this last gauntlet they force him on you twice. Not cool.
1:28:00 literally the most beautiful CG cutscene I’ve ever seen, and it’s of one of the most heartbreaking finales of any game I’ve ever played.
No Promises to Keep hits a lots harder after the ending...
If Part 3 happens to be on PS6 then GODDAMN THESE PHYSICS ARE SO FLUID I CAN'T WAIT
I really enjoyed the game but thought the finale was pretty weak. Especially Aerith's death scene
@@Walamonga1313 If you dont understand what's happening I can understand why you feel that way, but when you get that Cloud's mental state is even more fucked up than it was in the original it feels a lot sadder
Agreed, the quality is insane. Seeing the awakening of the Weapons with the quality we've seen so far will be absolutely mind-blowing.
This comment will get buried, but I just need to say it:
Max, this was the first time I played a video game and followed along with video streams. It made my experience with this game infinitely more enjoyable. Thank you for the amazing content. Looking forward to your final review and analysis.
Playing a game alongside watching a streamer you enjoy is honestly a great way of approaching new games! Real fun
@Evanz111 The only downside is the the streamers don't do the sidequests in the same order you do them, so you get spoiled in some parts....not a big deal cause they're sidequests
@@NuRm69 Yeah I get that! I try to always stay a few chapters ahead of any playthrough I watch just in case. Then it’s fun catching up!
I hope that Max’s theorizing and all those stream thinking is uploaded too because goddamn. I remember from the remake when he was like, “I need cigarette.” The feeling is back full force
This game has been absolutely INSANE. I got such chills when Cloud was trying to resist then “blocked” the strike. Not to mention the sheer gauntlet of bosses.
Thanks so much for playing this Max! There’s so much to chew on
Yeah he mentioned on Twitter his descent into madness once again will be uploaded lol. Much more condensed though. I think on the stream he beat the game and then was going for another 6 hours about the ending. Was a fun watch
I know I just posted a comment about Hollows lyrics, because bro it fits his Thoery so god damn well, I was listening to the song right after I heard his theory and my friggin jaw dropped to the floor
He posted something with Easy Allies
@@calciferrr Yeah I watched the Easy Allies spoiler talk with Max and then went back and finished watching the Finale Stream.
It’s so much fun seeing Max form the theories in real time with chat. Hopefully that’s added to UA-cam and not super cut down because honestly the theory crafting is so much fun
Well, problem was that very theorycrafting he did after he beat the game attracted some unpleasant people of the shipping community so yeah probably he will cut it down when uploaded to YT and even then, it may restroke whatever controversy it started
Bro when the fucking music kicks in as jenova appears and aeriths theme just pours your heart all over the floor oh my days this game is a masterpiece. So excited for part 3. Played the original in 1997 when i was 13 years old. This is my childhood man. Much love max.
The Jenova Life Clinger fight was my favorite in the entire game! Everything about it was damn near perfect from the music to the cinematics.
Couldn’t agree more. Seriously one of the best games I’ve ever played. Part 3 can’t come soon enough.
Yo Max, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the videos, your banter is top-notch and your passion for FFVII is a joy to watch.
I played this as a kid on a friends PlayStation and never got to finish it. Loved seeing where it leads + you talk about when it differs from the OG too.
I've never actually watched anyone stream games before, but as a new dad I knew I wouldn't have much chance to play it & finances are too tight to buy a new PS5 just for this one game. These videos helped me get through some tough times when baby wouldn't sleep! Will continue to follow along all your FF content.
Keep it up dood, from NZ.
Absolutely one of the greatest games of all time.
agreed
Easily. A true masterpiece.
@NamelessCat77. Pointless comment.
Agreed
@NamelessCat77FF6 fans trying not to talk about the game when someone mentions FF7 being a amazing game challenge: impossible
This is a AAAA game. The amount of content is mindblowing. What an incredible effort by SE, hope they get their fair recompants.
I played OG as an adult about 5 years ago and couldn't believe what I was missing out on. Even in this short amount of time, I have become so attached to FFVII, and Rebirth was unfathomably good. 115 hours to complete what I wanted to do and I still wanna go back just to go live in the world. I honestly can't believe how incredible this experience has been.
Max literally predicted that cloud and Zack would cross paths and fight together.
I geeked out so hard at that bit
@@TheRealAhoy I was fanboying like crazy.
Literally screamed like a little girl. 😂
@@romanhorizon I probably had the goofiest looking smile ever. I smiled these whole two games but I didn't expect that at all and was thinking about it for days haha
@@TheRealAhoy can’t wait to see what they cook up for part three!
Just imagine.
Part two, but even better.
I can’t wait for 2026.
It shouldn't have happened until part 3. It would feel earned then, when Cloud knew fully who he really was and people who didn't play the original finally knew who Zack was.
Has anyone noticed that in two different frames when cloud is holding the materia in his hand at 1:28:20 is the hollow/clear materia but at 1:28:22 it’s the black materia. And this is before he’s put either of them in his pocket!
I think that’s just because his thumb was over tbh, you could be right though!
I finished around 125 hours. Hell of a ride. Maybe the best music of any game I have played in my life
I played the whole game and then watched Max play through all of remake and rebirth. I’m at the end and I wanna do it all over again. I think these playthroughs will be my comfort tv until part 3 comes out. Thanks Max.
What a journey.
I will never forget playing this game, and I will never forget watching your playthrough as well.
Thank you Max (and mods!).
I really can't wait to see where we start in the next game. I wonder if they put us right at the Great Glacier. I can't wait to see how Vincent and Cid play.. back to the long wait we go!
I platinum'd this game in with 213 hours played, and i still could not get enough of the EZA Spoilermode with max and watching every single minute of all 28 parts to this playthru. Love your insights, Max. i always pick up on new things when i watch you play FF7 due to your attention to detail and commentary.
I thought it was great. Its different but not so different that it takes away from the main plot. I love that Cloud can still see Aerith and that she will still be fighting with us, in her own way. Incredible game, thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. The last string of boss fights were some of the best gaming I've ever gamed.
And so it begins. A confluence of worlds… and emotions. Loss, chief among them. It engulfs fleeting moments of joy, transforming them into rage, sadness, hatred. Never have I felt them so keenly.
- *Sephiroth*
Words can not describe part 2 of the journey we had in this game. It truly is a masterpiece!!!!
So my theory behind the death scene is this;
When sephiroth shoed cloud the other worlds he says "I give you my blessing" so that's gave clouds the ability to see the tear in the sky and because of that is seeing different worlds/ timelines in parallel with his own so he thinks he saved aerith but she still dies cause he's seeing 2 worlds simultaneously. This helps further his unreliable narrator plot especially with him having some sort of memory of Zack in this game which shouldn't happen.
When aerith dies you see the glitch effect between cloud holding her and shouting at sephiroth in anguish like in the OG
This is exactly what I think. This is the point that I was trying to make in my theory but u explained it better
Max leans heavily on the idea that Cloud is purely mentally broken and Hallucinating, and he's ignoring what the game kept trying to tell him about parallel worlds, and what Sephiroth said about "hiding". Aerith is using what generates alternate worlds (split possibilities from major events i.e. her living/ dying) in order to hide and complete her plan, and Cloud is somewhat in on it but not enough to understand the enormity of alternate worlds. He forgot that the sum total of all the alternate world stuff from remake>rebirth just amounted to "Parallel worlds exist". If Cloud was simply making up things that weren't there in order to cope, Red wouldn't have noticed Aerith's presence and Cloud wouldn't have hallucinated what I guess is a "parallel earth sky".
Cloud being mentally messed up is honestly not a much of a plot point so far in this one compared to Sephiroth's influence on his mind (see: Cloud flashing to Aerith's death the first time he meets her in Remake). They even have him start to remember who Zack is earlier that they did in the OG.
I don't think Max realizes "Cloud's mental breakdown makes him make up things that aren't real" is actually a really lame plot point and Square realizes that too, and they downplaying that as much as possible.
Max elsewhere also talks about how Aerith might be a Jenova imitator, and honestly it really doesn't fit. Aerith clearly isn't visible or known to the rest of the cast, and I don't think we've ever known Jenova to both imitate someone and also be ethereal at the same time. Jenova's MO, as is clearly shown in Cetra times, is imitating and infiltrating. It makes no sense to imitate just for Cloud and remain behind.
Max's theories are really interesting, but always go about two levels deeper than Square themselves seem to want to go. Max thought that there were going to just be two cohesive parallel timelines a-la Back to the Future, and what ended up happening was far less cogent and important than that.
i thinks its not different world or parallel.. more like its mirror world, 1 is real world and 1 is lifestream world.. like marlene said, "she will die if she wake up" means she go to lifestream world if she died in real world.. and biggs in coma state thats why he in lifestream world.. dunno about wedge and jessie not in there, and why marlene in there too..
@@megamandrn001Max is not the only one how thinks that Aerith is a Jenova clone that he are seeing from the point when the party. Look how that Aerirh are almost showing up whit kind of the same pose as seperoth is turning against cloud in Nibelhim. So that Aerith is not a real one. And him making things up is not a lame plot point. Trauma makes ceazy thi gs whit your brain.
Well normal stress does it to. I for exempel was 100% sure that I had forgott my Keys in a store. So my besin remebered it clearly even if they was in my pants in my aparrment.
Either way this game has made me equally if not more excited than when KH2 first came out before they went off the rails with all the side game before KH3
Cid saying "no heavy loads" (on the plane) after Barret says Cloud better be prepared to carry the load of killing Sephiroth 😅
I feel like in true OG JRPG fashion this is one of those games that just refuses to end, always growing in scope, and always surprising you with just one more thing. It was fantastic seeing the "overworld" map and the world of FF7 opening up to you little by little.
Thanks for all the work you and the crew put into this, the quality and love really shows! What a ride this series was!
My tinfoil hat/headcanon is; in the JENOVA fight, Yuffie yelling "Get that shit outta here!" was included because the devs watched Max playing through Remake. He said that so often in the beginning, when testing out Cloud's punisher/counter setup. The childlike wonder each time he pummelled someone and yelled it had to have inspired them.
Amazing playthrough, thanks for the ride.
Ok that would be hella cute. I'm sure the devs had their fun watching players get hype about the combat once they started figuring it out. Its a very "You're playing with us Peter" from Hook lol
As a massive OG FF7 fan, I loved this game, how it told the story it told, and how it ended. Perfect way to respect the legacy of the original, while leaving room for new stuff - just the right balance between resolution and epic finale moments, and lingering unease and tension that is just right for an "entry 2 out of 3" ending in a trilogy, that leaves you immediately absolutely THIRSTING for the 3rd game even after 100+ hours of playing this one, with zero burnout in sight. This game was damn near perfect overall, and imo it's going to go down in history as one of the best RPGs (certainly, JRPGs) of all time.
Hope you ff7 fans are happy getting everything while us fans of other ff games get nothing
i've watched these videos along while ive played... and i just wanted to say. Loved your input Max, this was a great ride!
Schrodinger's Gainsborough.
Cloud’s mental is destroyed by the ending, that’s why he THINKS he blocked Sephiroth’s sword but he doesn’t. He THINKS aertith wakes up but she doesn’t. He THINKS she’s still alive but she isn’t. The party sees everything that actually is happening, cloud sees what’s happening in his mind and the audience/player sees both.
Shit is crazy
So stoked to have watched this play-through with you Max! Just as in 2020. Thanks for the unforgettable times man. ❤
Thank you Square for doing what you wanted to do and ignoring the cynics, the enthusiasm has shone through the screen in ways I never could have imagined. Loved the playthrough Max, we are truly final fantasy 7 bro's for life (said in Johnny cadence)
You guys can have the multiverse bullshit. 👍
@@samuraiwarrior87
And you can cry about it.
@@samuraiwarrior87 And you can lazily compare it to the tired Marvel franchise 👍
The multiverse garbage isn't going to age well. Someone needs to take the superhero marvel boxsets away from the Square employees.
@@kenmasters1803 Marvel are doing this stuff because their franchise selling point ran dry! They ran out of movie ideas, so they did the multiverse stuff.
Did Square run out of final fantasy 7 ideas? Nope, because they didn't churn out 3/4 games a year on FF7 like marvel did movies 👍
Lazy comparisons, pity all of them are negative tinted (wow, how convenient!)
1:30:00 That’s the Black Materia that this Gi’s will get back to activate there “WEAPONS”. If you read the chapter summaries when Nanaki is doing his Gi Trials he activating an “Emerald” Shrine, a “Ruby” Shrine & “Amber” Shrine.
Edit-Chapter 10 Voice Within, your 3 objectives in that are Ruby Emerald and Amber Altar.
Amber isn’t the name of a original WEAPON though, but it would make sense from a narrative point to have the Gi activate Meteor and the 3 WEAPONS to help wipe out all of humanity. While Sephiroth focuses on the war he started to have humanity destroy itself. Plus Sephiroth has his own small army of hooded figures he can use to help him cause chaos in the war.
Edit 2: Just realized Cloud did save Aerith but because we are in a world where Sephiroth is extra strong and can use the Whispers to control fate he undid it. Just like Aerith did with Zack. She saw what would of happened if Zack would of went to Hojo or to the church and basically said “No im gonna change that” and chose for that timelines events to be Zack goes to see Biggs. Plus by then in that timeline Sephiroth already killed her in the church. So now she “Omi Aerith” in that timeline like Sephiroth is Omi in the timeline we play in. There are 2 fixed points/cannon events in FF7 Aeriths death & Sephiroths death and Cloud saving Aerith just made possible timelines where instead of Aerith dying they stop Sephiroth right then & there and everybody goes home a live nice long lives and the power and knowledge she needs is from those future timelines. That’s why she has her own Whispers when she joins the fight with Cloud at the end, because she can control her (rainbow) timeline she has her own Whispers. (Theory)
I need photographs spiderman, but really I believe you.
I thought the Gi just wanted to summon Meteor too, I just think the OG weapons are from the time the planet created them for when Jenova fell in case the Cetra would fail to contain it, the same way it now created those new ones we saw in Corel and Gongaga
The OG weapons are still sound asleep in the crater and will wake up when Meteor is summoned
@@kilkkiller Lmfao, I was gonna make a video about it but the Ultimatum is coming out so I wanted to put it out there before it confirmed or disproves my theory. If you have the game you go to the “Quest” screen when you press start and go to the chapter where you do the Gi’s trials. You’ll see it there.
@@moto3112 Yeah and if the Gi get the Black Materia that happens too, but from a narrative stand point it makes more sense to make the Gi’s the makers of these WEAPONS to be the Gi’s anti WEAPONS to make sure all of humanity was wiped out. For how the stories going now it would be hard to spin a narrative that the planets using them to make sure humanity was wiped out and then stop Meteor. Plus we still don’t know what the og ff 7 WEAPONS where suppose to do to stop Meteor. There is a chance we could see that in the next game but then why would we need to fight them. Also if it was as simple as Sephiroth gets the Black Materia and summons Meteor, why would he give it back to Cloud at the end of the game, I don’t think it’s just so Cloud could give it to him again in the next game.
Sephiroth can focus on the war he started to have humanity destroyed itself to go along with the Gi making sure Meteor and (basically) the anti WEAPONS happens. Also that war is with 3 parties. Shinra, Wutai & Septiroth because we can’t forget Sephiroth has dozens or hundreds of Black Robes dudes that he can turn into. Imagine a battle going on with Shinra vs Wutai and 10 Black Robes guys show up. Sephiroth would have all he’d need to kill everyone on that battlefield.
@@moto3112It’s more from a narrative stand point. It makes more sense to have the Gi also have these anti WEAPONS to help destroy humanity along with Meteor. For how the stories going now it would be hard to use the og narritive that these WEAPONS are from the planet and are when activated gonna destroy humanity and then stop Meteor. Plus we still don’t know what the WEAPONS from the og ff7 where gonna do to stop Meteor. If they where gonna help stop Meteor then there’s no reason to fight them in the next game. Plus Cloud literally gave him the Black Materia in this game, I doubt he gave it back to Cloud at the end of this game just to have him give it to him give it back to him in the next game. Specially with the addition of these anti Cetra people who want the Black Materia.
Sephiroths new plan is war. Help humanity destroy itself. There’s a war of 3 parties Shinra, Wutai and Sephiroth. Imagine if there’s a Shinra vs Wutai battle going on and 10 Black Robbed dudes show up. Sephiroth would have all he would need to kill everyone on that battle field. Instead of just focusing on Meteor he can use his army of Black Robbed guys to cause chaos all over the world in the war in the next game.
OG Aerith and Sephiroth playing chess with reality lol I love it.
And it just escalated into 4D Chess with time travel.
U mean they're playing Queens Blood...4D Queens Blood.
Straight up. ITS A SEQUEL haha felt so vindicated
and with our hearts...
Some things I noticed that gets overlooked:
- Cloud isn't imagining Aerith because 1) Red feels her touch him in the ending 2) Tifa sees the shifting worlds of Aerith covered in blood and not covered in blood. There are subtle signs, but Cloud is clearly NOT crazy when he's seeing her alive.
- When Glenn appears at the end, it says Glenn & Sephiroth together instead of just showing Sephiroth. It seems both Glenn and Seph might actually be together instead of Seph being the only puppeteer. After all, Glenn was with Seph during all of Ever Crisis.
- The Clear Materia is the "purest materia" that the Gi talked about that they "filled with their malice." Now Cloud has it, so it's neither good nor bad at the moment. Depends on what feelings he puts inside of it.
I dunno about the first point. Nanaki has always been in touch with the Life Stream more than others. Maybe he felt her presence, her soul, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's there
I think similar to Sephiroth existing in multiple worlds while synchronized like during the Bizzaro Sephiroth fight, Cloud might be existing in two worlds and perceiving both. So Aerith IS there but in another world. He might have saved her but in another world and in a world that is doomed to die like some of the other worlds.
Would explain why Nanaki could sense her as someone Lifestream sensative. Why Cloud sees the rift in the sky. And why Cloud can see Aerith. We might have saved her in a way but still lose her in the end, me thinks. Saving Aerith just to still say goodbye to her in part 3 sounds fairly in line with how the Remake trilogy is doing a lot of the same but hitting harder or differently.
If this doesn't win GOTY this year, I'm going to lose my sh__!
Gotta to admit. This is the ultimate Final Fantasy game I've seen. Knowing that the Remake was the setup for Rebirth all this time, FF7 Rebirth is definitely at a even higher plateau than the rest of the sequels combined. Just like you Max,.. mind blown 🤯
One the greatest playthroughs from your stock
i am from the future, you are never gonna believe which game won it
@xrip75 which game took GOTY
@@daimionhollins528 a mario 64 rip off with robots
The very subtle camera focus on Aerith at 59:30 when Sephiroth says 'I underestimated you"... a joy
The rainbow light really did have meaning.. i just got it watching max's playthrough.. theres 3 characters who have that light, 3 who could cause timeline splits
@15:10 this will go down as one of the best battle themes ever made! Mixing Aerith's theme and Jenova's theme was the best choice!
When that came in at the start of the boss fight it made me so pumped! I was fighting FOR Aerith!
They did this in the OG
@@MickJobless all they did In the og was just aeriths theme iirc
@@MickJoblessOg was only Aeriths theme. OG FF7 didn’t have phases for the music
Cloud absolutely could not move that sword to save Aerith when the whispers were trying to keep the past/fate from changing. 10:23 clearly shows the lifestream free Clouds sword so he can deflect Sephiroth's attack and save Aerith. It clearly surrounds his buster sword. Then at 11:06 we see a temporal shift (you'll notice the soundtrack/song double back) to the timeline we're all familiar with from the past where Aerith gets skewered like a shish kebab at a 4th of July BBQ. Clearly there's a universe where Cloud saves Aerith, the question is, will it be the universe we get to see off at the end of the trilogy? Perhaps for the final game there can be multiple endings depending on your choices/completion percentage?
I agree with you, even Tifa had a glimpse of it for a moment. But yes a living Aerith seems to exist in another timeline but for the rest of the party she is gone.
1:16:00 i like how cloud instantly copies zacks stance
I think Aerith we see at the pool and final cutscene is not real Aerith, but Cloud's imagination of her. Because, the way she communicates with him is very plain and she says only things she either said before to Cloud, or what Cloud wants to hear from her. Max had a nice observation that real Aerith tried to protect him all this time from going after Sephiroth and told him take care of his mental health, but this Aerith encourages it? Nope! Something is not right. It doesn't have to be Jenova's influence, maybe just his imagination. And another good observation is that Aerith appears near the party only when Cloud pays attention to them.
Also, we can't deny a possibility Cloud saved her in other timeline and he really blocked Septh's attack. Maybe she also tries to prevent him from final breakdown and calms him down at the moment. But I believe, it's not the same Aerith we see in the very end. OG Aerith appears, when they both fight Sephiroth at the edge of the creation.
So glad to have gone this journey with you, Max! Thank you for letting us follow you as you played the game! Can't wait to see what theories you make of it!
I just noticed something I didn’t before. At 3:52 the black whispers are literally brushing away the white ones when Cloud steps forward. I’m fully convinced the black whispers are controlled by Sephiroth. At first I didn’t notice which whispers opened the path for Cloud but now I see it’s only the black ones who did while the white ones don’t want him to get through at all. I think the white ones are connected to an omniscient Aerith and she knows she has to die and maybe she wants to spare Cloud from the pain because this is one of the biggest contributors to him loosing his mind.
I think you're right. I'm pretty sure someone says at some point flat out that the black whispers are controlled by sephiroth. And it def seems the white ones are controlled/associated with etc. Aerith. And you're point about Sephiroth wanting to let cloud through makes sense for the exact reason you said.
That's not even speculation about the black whispers; the game outright confirms it multiple times(Cloud even says so when they arrive at the temple). Sephiroth literally appears from a horde of the black whispers in the final fight against Zack and Cloud, uses them while fighting Aerith and Cloud, and remember what Tifa saw after reliving her memories in the lifestream? In fact there are 2 instances in which Sephiroth appears to Cloud in the same chapter from said whispers. Even if that wasn't enough, the Rebirth Ultimania has stated officially this is the case. So you were right on the money with that part :)
The white ones are still a mystery though. The only time we're shown Aerith is controlling them is the very last fight. While I think your idea would be a cool concept, until we get more evidence to support that, I'm thinking it's more along the lines of the planet didn't want them to interfere with Aerith's "destiny" that was a bit less predictable since they literally defeated destiny. But she's still a crucial player in saving the planet, and Cloud and co. running in there early could ruin it even though they were just worried for her safety
@@everlastingflames13I think the white ones just exist in the lifestream. Aerith being in the lifestream and being able to control it in a way allows her to control them. That is my theory.
Finally!!! I finished my playthrough two weeks ago, so have been waiting for you to post your finale. I still feel empty after playing the game. Just need to stay alive to see part 3
1:28:01 love the detail that CID is basically humming“THE FINAL FANTASY theme”
Dude I just noticed the music with creepy Aerith at 1:21:49 is the same as or is very similar to what plays at 1:16:44. Max had a stream where he talked a lot about that music and had Alex Moukala analyze it, they said it doesn't play anywhere else but it first appears there, after Aerith and Cloud defeat Sephiroth. On the OST it's called Everybody's Waiting.
I share Max's age and perspective on Final Fantasy 7. I played and watched everything in the order it came out, when it came out. And I mean the good along with the bad. I was there too. It's been a lifelong obsession with me too. And this game is more than I ever hoped for back in those days and it is definitely one of the greatest games of all-time if not my personal favorite. That is all.
max, you're an inspiration for devoted FF7 fans, thank YOU for sticking around
It was a fun journey to experience this game with you max. Thank you.
Zack casual jumping through different timeline: See ya! 😂😂😂
I expect him to meet Gilgamesh now in part 3 😂
I love it when I'm watching an emotional cutscene and then UA-cam decides it's the perfect time for an unskippable 15 second ad
22:23 That transition in the fight and the music timed so well. It Was Perfect!
The Rebirth ending is excellent, builds something new to the table to keep it fresh for the main audience, also keeps the newer audience intrigued.
Can't wait for Part 3!
People say it "ruined someone's death" isn't true at all. Who said that character passing away is going to happen just in rebirth alone? This thing can happen in the next game also and it'll be more contextualised and maybe better. But as rebirtb as a standalone game, I can understand why the death is criticised. At the end of the day, we're here for a 3 part story like any other great trilogy be it star wars or lord of the rings or kung fu panda. So see the bigger picture.
@@bruhm0ment6000the problem is that it was filled with multiverse and Nomura was the one who wanted a faithful remake, not multiverse shenanigans
@@dee_dee4640 At this point, you'll be crazier than a person who doesn't expect it to have multiverse plots. Even in 2020, people didn't expect it to be a 1:1 considering the first part is midgar and in FF1997 midgar was only 5 hours, anyone with logic would know some things would be changed and expanded upon. However, with this multiversal plot going on, it all comes down to the third act, if it lands it can be one of the greatest multiverse stories ever told, if not it's just a confusing mess with a big ideal. Look at Everything Everywhere All at Once, it's a great multiverse story, it doesn't have to be a multiverse story to begin with considering how down to earth the story takes place and who the characters are. It's about a family, a father and a mother contemplating their place in life and their daughter who has nihilistic views on the world but with the multiverse element added to it, it makes everything better. To this day I still don't understand the bagel metaphor but I'm sure it's the reason why this multiverse movie is so good. Okay I have 3 more multiverse stories to go through so stick with me. Next is The spiderverse trilogy, into the spiderverse was essentially different spider people coming together and miles journey to becoming Spiderman and across the spiderverse is essentially miles fighting destiny or canon event in hopes to save his dad's life, this is almost similar to Cloud and Gang fighting the arbiters of fate in remake. Except Remake came first before across the spiderverse. Also one of the best plot twist in modern cinema is when miles thought he went back to his universe only to discover he went to a universe similar to his. That plot twist was so jaw dropping I was stunned. Next is Steins gate, enough is said with this masterpiece, it's a man testing fate itself to save two people he cares about when there's only one option presented. Rintaro essentially reversed time back 3000+ times just so he can find the good ending. I think part 3 is gonna go the same route, that's just my game theory. Basically no matter what cloud does Aerith still dies, cloud hops between timelines to the "canon event" and no matter how many times cloud tries, Aerith dies and there's gonna be this big emotional scene where cloud comes to terms with fate or something like that but that's just my game theory. Next is Marvel's what if season 1 episode 4, it's also leans heavily on the idea of a canon event but it's called the nexus point. Basically Dr Strange tries over and over again to save his girlfriend from dying but it's inevitable, at the end, Dr Strange has to bare the consequences of breaking the nexus point and the collapse of the universe because of his actions, a story about a man with a lot of grief trying to change the impossible.
@@dee_dee4640 These multiverse stories are great and FF7 Re: trilogy can be one of the greatest multiverse games if it lands the 3rd act. Your disgust with multiverse stories is because of Marvel and how their multiverse saga drag this plot element through the mud. But I also proved that if it's great then it's an award winning film like Everything Everywhere All at once. List a game with a multiverse plot that's amongst the likes of steins gate and isn't confusing as heck, kingdom hearts sure doesn't count. Oh, I also forgot to mention Loki. Yeah anyways multiversal stories can be a great thing if done right. Now, wait till 2027 and we can finally judge the story for what it is.
@@dee_dee4640 A story like everything everywhere all at once, the spiderverse trilogy, Steins gate, Marvel's what if season 1 episode 4 are all great multiverse stories. It's just how they're going to stick the perfect landing for part 3.
there are so many incredibly hype moments in the game emphasized by music, but i really think my favorite one is the ending fight with sephiroth where the whispers finish returning to him and you just get SLAPPED with one-winged angel. 10/10 top notch moment
Flawless production and sequence choices and reactions of course plus family stuff is wholesome. Great stuff Max, I'm glad some random comment on UA-cam brought me to you.
Side note: Sad that your dragon's dogma 2 official pawn didn't scale like other streamer's pawns did.
It's absolutely wild that you uploaded this yesterday because I always felt like our pacing was more or less aligned, but I had to focus on work the last couple weeks so I figured you'd beaten it last week. I beat the game last night and nope, here's your vid not even 24 hours later haha
I literally finished watching the previous episode a minute before this dropped. Fate is at work.
Either Areth is simultaneously dead and alive due to alternate realities merging (thanks Sephiroth), or it's all in Cloud's head cause Sephiroth is fucking with him.
Pretty excited for part 3. There's already so much of the original that we'll probably see: huge materia, weapons, chocobo breeding, Northern Continent, return to Midgar.
Gameplay wise, I think there's some room to expand. Besides more playable characters, we get more limit breaks and materia, maybe live party swapping, I'd like to see summons made a little more flexible to accommodate the having of more Summon materia, and maybe a hot take, but I'd like to see materia crafting. Anyway, lots of possibilities. So hyped!
Interesting detail that after finishing the final fight at 1:16:12 Cloud holds his sword just as Zack does at 35:43
Facts
Well spotted it! Looks like a very unfamiliar stance for Cloud
Absolutely insane game. Its so hard to put into words. The graphics, the gameplay, the story, the characters, the locations, the voice acting and THE GOOD DAMN MUSIC. Jesus. Best time I've ever had with a game period. And still some people are complaining about there being like 2-3 meh hours in a 120 hour RPG. The fucking vitriol with some folks. Must be tough to never be happy.
However, this game made me incredibly happy and will do so for a long time to come. Just like the OG.
Good take, I totally agree.
Cloud is losing his mind lol
I watched the VOD's on twitch, but thank you so much for this playthrough Max. I really enjoyed watching it.
I doubt anyone’s gonna see this but just imagine in 10 years hell even five years we’re gonna be able to come back and replay through all three games back to back to back
That’s a dream come true 😢❤🎉 It will be fantastic
Max: it’s been a pleasure following your full 28 part playthrough, sir. We’ve been spoiled 😎
I didn’t notice until recently, but at 3:55, Cloud actually controls the Black Whispers into opening the path that he walks through.
Rocking the Buster sword for maximum cinematics
I've only just noticed now, but when Cloud deflects Sephiroth's blade, the rainbow effect appears.
Yep... such a slab in the face. To resist and manage to parry and save Aerith. But his parry pack a hell of power that cut thru dimensions.
Naw he created a different timeline, she's both dead and alive.
Aerith: hey, I saw what you did back then... thanks
I got a crazy screenshot someone shared on Reddit of cloud using prime mode 's final against sephiroth in regular form and it's just epic
@@blazinchimp1671but as we know all these splinter timelines are fated to expire, her being dead in the prime timeline is the important part.
Both Sephiroth as well as the white whispers know this.
36:09 What this party screen shows and doesn't show is really important.
First, every playable character minus Sephiroth is in the list, including Aerith and Zack.
Second, the only person you can see on the screen is Cloud unless you go out of your way to select other characters.
I think this is showing that everyone in this fight is alive but in different timelines. They're all connected even if they aren't physically existing in the same space. Cloud and Zack hail from two different timelines, which is why you can see Cloud but not Zack. This Cloud is from a timeline where he saved Aerith, so you can see him but not the rest of the party. The Aerith who fights with you in the final battle is the R Aerith from the timeline where she died-- this is why she says "I saw what you did back there. Thank you."
Or is just so you can change your party equipment lmao. Pretty sure this is the only time you can during this boss. Zack being invisible could just be a glitched, others are invisible bc they’re currently not with you.
@@lulu_TheWitchBoy Max and I come from a time when you couldn't transfer equipment from dead party members to living party members. Aerith left all her materia behind when she went to the Forbidden City in 1997 but if you didn't deequip her armor beforehand then it was gone permanently. Is having former party members in the roster regardless of dead or alive status common practice in 2024?
@@catkaboodleIs it common practice for equipment to be transferred between timelines😂😂
@@JustKelso1993 No, but it's not common practice to have a multi-timeline boss fight either.
@@catkaboodle The simple fact is that they were on that menu simply because they were still in fights. Aerith is dead but she still technically had a fight that you needed to equip her for, nothing more and nothing less. Whether or not she is dead dead or not, won't know til part 3 but I hope she is. I hope they keep it basically the same.
Listening to all of Max’s wild theories as we’ve been waiting for the answers has been a highlight of FF7 UA-cam content.
If they stick to the trilogy idea, then I’m so glad that we’ll finally get to hear which predictions were correct, whilst also getting blindsided by some wacky unexpected stuff too.
@@jogsi1558going to be interesting to see what they decide.
10 would be probably the most financially viable but it doesn't particularly need the treatment.
8 could definitely benefit from getting the remake
And while I would love 6, I think it's probably just too big an ask to do it in this style.
@@zero1343 Maybe FF5?
Im very happy Max had Cloud use the buster sword for the end.
Finally finished ❤ hell of a game, I "played" the original FF7 watching my friends play it while I sat there with the strategy guide. Blown away
I subscribed to your page solely for your FF7 Rebirth review I had no doubt it was going to be good but just the bang for your buck for a AAA game is mind boggling. Th absolutely 100% I'm hearing it's like 200-300 hrs
My theory is this. Cloud is witnessing the convergence of two worlds - the world where he saves aerith and the world where he fails to do so. That’s why when he looks up he sees that rift thing and the others don’t, and it’s also why the others don’t see aerith but he does.
12:16 I think the cuts to different timeline in this scene is suppose to be Cloud from the original FF7 and the reason we don’t hear what he’s saying is because we already know what he said.
Max had said it at Twitch.
1:26:22 the weapon "whales" are parts of emerald weapon - the big orbs are part of the shoulder
"Just as a game begins, so too it ends."
The WEIGHT of Vincent telling Cloud that Aerith needs him...
The whales having their materia glowing pale green signifies that the White Materia has answered Aerith's prayer. Don't forget the reason Aerith choose to die is because she knows her Death is the catalyst for Holy. Without her death the planet cannot be saved.
Why don't more people understand this?
@@rabidrobbiebecause it’s not true. FF7 fans love to make shit up
Weren't they green already in the Gongaga scene where Tifa was inside one, though?
@@TearsofaLunarian "Glowing pale green" I did not say they were green. I said they started Glowing a pale green... which they did. In the original that is the sign the White Materia has answered the prayers and is ready to cast Holy. People really fucking lack basic listening skills.
12:15 I think those glitches where Cloud is talking but his voice is muted is his “true self” emerging from within himself.
I say this because these glitches occur whenever any semblance of “truth” is revealed to Cloud and it contradicts the illusion Cloud is under.
The “SOLDIER First Class” Cloud doesn’t morn or cry when his friends or comrades die, however the real Cloud does.
They kept it so true to the OG that I fought Jenova through blurry tear soaked eyes.
I enjoyed this series. Thank you for making the videos. I chose the perfect creator to watch and tune in.